Joba has the honour of playing the first music on this quintet's second studio opus. Plucking a dirty bass sound before his entourage bring up the wall of brutality, this is Klogr intent on bruising all in their wake.

His cohorts go by the names of Gabriele 'Rusty' Rustichelli who unleashes lead vocals and also attends to guitar duties; Eugenio wielding his six-string and providing backing vocals; fellow guitarist and backing vocalist Giampi with the prolific beat on drums provided by Ste.

Now we have the introductions out of the way, 'Zero Tolerance' abuses the senses but thankfully doesn't lose sight of a hook-laden chorus. 'Refuge' maintains the opening salvo of angst with some nice touches in the riff department. It becomes evident very quickly that this band and this album in particular are all about guitars, and that's the key to 'Black Snow'.

Article continues below...

Luckily we're not reduced to a yawn either enduring copious amounts of distortion alone, as the variations contained within 'Refuge' keep things interesting including a mellow short section.

One of the dream team here at the mighty MetalTalk called DJ Angel has done the business already regarding a single review of 'Draw Closer', and you can cast your beady eyes over it by clicking here.

When you wrap your ears around 'Hell Of Income' you wonder why they released 'Draw Closer' as their first official single. This fourth track proves to be a wonderful moment and showcases real control with their power and sense of melody. The attitude and expletives are cranked up when 'Life Is Real' crashes forth; flowing effortlessly in to 'Heart Breathing' which shares the bands sensitive side initially before moving through the gearbox and soaring through a cloudy sky. Once the drama has subsided, the ears receive a kicking when 'Falling Crowns' bashes down the door!

Crushing with calculated power, both 'Guilty And Proud' and 'Plunder' do the business of exhibiting distortion and melodious moments with equal measures of confidence. While I remember, there's a really cool bit in the vocal department on the track 'Severed Life' where the vocal wobbles or repeats the word “life”; quirky and cool.

'Room To Doubt' stomps its feet as it introduces itself and then we're welcomed to some furious riffs and again Rusty maintains a solid hold on his vocal performance. The vocals are a little gruff and gravely, but not the kind of scream style that the current wave of melodic death Metal bands can deliver; the sound therefore during 'Black Snow' retains a distinctive vibe.

It gets constantly harder to find bands which are capable of finding their own sound as so many bands and artists exist and are exploring the many varied ingredients to calibrate.

After doing a comprehensive search for the definition of 'Ambergris', I now know that it's that stuff you sometimes see on the surface of the sea and is the result of some sort of intestinal process within sperm whales! This makes sense when you hear the tail end of this closing track, which shares the sound effects of a distant whale and the sea lapping up against the shoreline.

There is sufficient change in tempo and texture to keep this album from being dull, and the musicianship is solid. 'Black Snow' shows off an arty flair with the depth of lyrical output marrying abstract to real life emotion. It's both heavy and chunky with moments of refinement and will please most fans of in-your-face, dark and moody Metal.

'Draw Closer' ladies and gentlemen for the carnival of this metallic winter brings us nothing but 'Black Snow'...